Monthly Archives: February 2016

Monday, February 29th, 2016 is a leap day. I was curious about the history of the leap year and leap day, so off to Google I went. Of course, Wikipedia had the answer – is there anything they do not know?

The history and science behind the leap year A leap year(2016), where an extra day is added to the end of February every four years, is down to the solar system’s disparity with the Gregorian calendar. A complete orbit of the earth around the sun takes exactly 365.2422 days to complete, but the Gregorian calendar uses 365 days. So leap seconds – and leap years – are added as means of keeping our clocks (and calendars) in sync with the Earth and its seasons.

Why is the extra day in February and not another month?All the other months in the Julian calendar have 30 or 31 days, but February lost out to the ego of Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. Under his predecessor Julius Caesar, February had 30 days and the month named after him – July – had 31. August had only 29 days. When Caesar Augustus became Emperor he added two days to ‘his’ month to make August the same as July. So February lost out to August in the battle of the extra days.

Did you know the Summer Olympic games are held on a Leap Year and in Greece, couples avoid getting married in a leap year believing it to be bad luck. Electrician, Charlotte Electrical Contractor, Charlotte Electrician, Electrician in Charlotte, Electrician in Charlotte NC, Electrical Contractor in Charlotte, Electrical Contractor in Charlotte NC, Matthews Electrical Contractor, Matthews Electrician, Electrician in Matthews, Electrician in Matthews NC, Monroe Electrical Contractor, Monroe Electrician, Electrician in Monroe, Electrician in Monroe NC, Indian Trail Electrical Contractor, Indian Trail Electrician

At ARC Electric Company we care about our customers. This is your monthly reminder to check your smoke alarms and CO detector!

Testing Your Smoke Alarms*Smoke alarms should be maintained according to manufacturer’s instructions.
*Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the “Test” button.
*Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
*Follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning to keep smoke alarms working. The instructions are included in the package or can be found on the internet.
*Smoke alarms need a new battery at least once a year. If the alarm chirps, warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.

Testing Your CO Detector*Test CO alarms at least once a month using the “Test” button to ensure it is drawing electrical power. It will emit high-pitched, loud beeping, usually louder than a smoke detector. During this test it will also speak to you.
*Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the CO detector and knows how to respond.
*If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries and replace. If it still sounds, call the fire department.
*Replace CO detectors every 7 years.

ARC Electric Company is offering a FREE CO Detector with the purchase and installation of 4 or more smoke alarms. Call us today to schedule your appointment!

Monday, February 15th is Presidents’ Day, an American holiday celebrated on the 3rd Monday of February. This holiday was originally established in 1885 to recognize President George Washington and is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Washington’s birthday is celebrated on February 22, his actual day of birth but the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This act was an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers – which I quite enjoy today! While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

Like Independence Day, Presidents’ Day is traditionally viewed as a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance. In its original incarnation as Washington’s Birthday, the holiday gained special meaning during the difficulties of the Great Depression, when portraits of George Washington often graced the front pages of newspapers and magazines every February 22. In 1932 the date was used to reinstate the Purple Heart, a military decoration originally created by George Washington to honor soldiers killed or wounded while serving in the armed forces. In 1938 an estimated 5,000 people attended mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in honor of Washington.

In its modern form, Presidents’ Day is used by many patriotic and historical groups as a date for staging celebrations and reenactments. A number of states also require that their public schools spend the days leading up to Presidents’ Day teaching students about the accomplishments of all the presidents, often with a strong emphasis on the lives of Washington and Lincoln.

I distinctly remember in 5th grade having to do a project for Presidents’ day on a President or his wife and their accomplishments while in office. I chose Dolley Madison and to this say still am fascinated with her and all she did for our country. While she isn’t a President, she did shape the way Presidents and their families are seen in our country. She helped bring the government to the 21st Century without even realizing it.

She held the first Inaugural Ball at Capital Hill after James Madison was elected president and continued to host dinners for stately guest. She famously sponsored egg-rolling contests for children on or near the lawn at the Capitol Building, served ice cream at the White House and redecorated the home to be more inviting to guests. Dolley Madison was the first “First Lady” to formally associate herself with a specific public project; as a supporter and board member she helped open a D.C. home for young orphaned girls. She also befriended nuns from a local Catholic school and began a lifelong association with the organization. Her legacy was made lasting by her conscious act of symbolic patriotism in the hours before the burning of Washington by invading British troops during the War of 1812. She blatantly refused to leave the White House before being assured that the large portrait of George Washington was removed from the walls and taken safely away from potential destruction. After presidential life, she returned home and was still sought after as a confidant and mentor to future presidential wives. Legend has it that at her funeral President Taylor eulogized her as the “First Lady” – perhaps this was the first known use of the title.

This Presidents’ day, don’t just remember the Presidents’ – remember their wives and families because without them by their side, shaping their minds and hearts, listening at dinner or hosting guests – where would our country be today?

At ARC Electric Company we stress preparedness – whether its having smoke detectors properly installed in your home, or having a CurrentSAFE test done to make sure your home’s electrical is top notch or even having a whole home generator installed. We want you to be prepared for anything – so why not prepare for the next power outage?

Sometimes Mother Nature throws the South a curve ball and we temporarily lose power due to a storm, sometimes our power companies have issues causing homes to lose power and sometimes human error can lead to an entire block being without power. Whatever the reason is, be prepared for the next outage!

After our most recent storm and outage, we received several calls inquiring on a whole home generator. One homeowner even mentioned they had a portable generator, but typically when they need it the weather is rough and its in storage and its a hassle. On top of a portable one being a hassle, it doesn’t come on within seconds of an outage like a whole home generator with an automatic transfer switch would do. Sometimes peace of mind is the best feature. For me, knowing my heat will still run and my freezer will still get power during any outage is worth this purchase.

While ARC Electric Company offers several different brands of whole home generators, we strongly recommend KOHLER whole home generators. KOHLER Generator offers some of the best warranties in the business with an impressive 5-year, 2,000-hour warranty protection, plus a corrosion-proof enclosure that’s built to last. (14kW and 20kW models feature corrosion-proof enclosures; all other models feature corrosion-resistant enclosures.)

How does a Generator work?The whole home generator is comprised of two basic parts – the transfer switch and the generator itself. The transfer switch monitors the electricity coming in from the utility. When it detects the power has stopped, it sends a signal to the generator, which starts running. The house then receives the electricity being generated at your home. When the power is restored by the utility, the transfer switch transfers the home’s electrical needs to the utility and turns the generator off. All of this is done without involvement of the homeowner.

Why do I need a whole-house generator?When the power to your home fails a whole home generator with an automatic transfer switch will kick in automatically providing you with continuous power to essential appliances. Many people can live without lights in the bedroom, but have you considered that no electricity in your home means:
* Food spoils in the refrigerator
* Basements can flood because sump pumps stop working
* Water may stop flowing if you are on a well pump; worse still, sewage may back-up into the house if you have a septic pump
* The heat shuts off even if you use natural gas, propane, or oil – no electricity means those devices won’t work either
* Security – you are sitting, possibly alone, in a dark home – security systems will start to fail after just a few hours
* Telephones land lines fail and you can’t charge your cell phones
* Excessive heat – Who likes living in a home with no air conditioning, no fans, and no cool drinks while waiting for the power to be restored?
* Medical needs – Do you care for someone who may need electricity for health reasons or is weakened and can not handle extremes of temperature?

What size generator will I need?The answer is “that depends”. Smaller electrical loads need smaller generators and bigger loads require bigger generators. We will be glad to help you decide what electrical loads are important to you. We do offer FREE Generator quotes – call us to schedule your appointment today! (704) 821-7005.

How big is the generator?Generators are actually quite small. Air cooled units (up to 20 kW) take a 3’ x 5’ mounting area and are nominally 2’ wide, 4’ long and about 2.5’ tall. Liquid cooled units are a about a foot longer in each direction.

Begin the New Year with New Lighting
Throughout Your Home or Office
ARC Electric Company has been dedicated to helping home and business owners since 1977. Our focus has always been Residential and Commercial electrical installations and residential service work. Our technicians have seen a shift in lighting in homes throughout Charlotte and surrounding areas in the recent years. They have noticed home and business owners are replacing their outdated fixtures with LED lighting. Now is a wonderful time to let the ARC team make the switch for you. Many consumers (and we have to agree) felt the cost was too astronomical to make the switch, but these pricing have steadily been decreasing. While LED bulbs do cost more than standard bulbs, their benefits far out weigh the slight cost difference.
For years we’ve heard about “going green” and the initiative to use energy efficient products in our homes and businesses. LED lighting is extremely energy efficient and will consume less power than incandescent bulbs. Since LEDs use only a fraction of the energy of an incandescent light bulb there is a dramatic decrease in power costs.
Energy.gov has said “widespread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the United States. By 2027, widespread use of LED’s could save about 348 TWh (compared to no LED use) of electricity. This is the equivalent annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants, and a total savings of more than $30 billion at today’s electricity prices.”
Switching to LED bulbs makes perfect sense – not only are they environmentally friendly, the life expectancy can be up to 10-12 years. On our ARC Electric Company blog we have been highlighting LED lighting, their benefits and I even found a great comparison chart on LED to CFL to Incandescent bulbs. It is really informative – check it out our blog – CLICK HERE!
Call ARC Electric Company today
to discuss our technicians replacing
your outdated bulbs to LED!
704-821-7005 | www.ARCElectricCompany.com | Don’t forget to always check our our Coupons page – these change periodically. Click Here to be directed to our page.